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Air Transport Rule Reviewed, Chamber Comments

The Indiana Chamber submitted comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “transport rule.” The rule is the result of a suit by northeastern states claiming that the states west of it are responsible to some degree for their particulate matter and ozone. Indiana business and industry has invested many billions of dollars in recent years to reduce the levels of a number of pollutants including particulate matter and ozone. There is data that shows that the northeast particulate and ozone levels are primarily coming from the northeast states themselves. These pollutant emissions from Indiana facilities are dropping and will likely continue to drop over time. The Chamber’s EPA comment letter states:

Before new rules are imposed on a still-weak economy, it makes more sense to recognize what improvements in air quality have already occurred under the Clean Air Interstate Rule. As we continue to climb out of the recession, the last thing that government should do is create additional costs to the economy without substantiated reasons. We applaud the EPA’s efforts to improve air quality for all Americans and to address downwind issues. Hasty action, however, will have economic consequences for our members without any assurance that the rule will deliver the desired results any faster than the nation can achieve on its current path. We urge the EPA to delay the transport rule until there is a clear indication that comparable results cannot be achieved through existing measures. The EPA also should establish realistic deadlines that will not punish electricity consumers.